Well, They Ask You Not To Go To A&E, So I Didn't, Then I Had To..

[jourdain2]

See G.P. not A&E ....is the mantra. So I did just that re my very painful hip.  (Previous Question)

On Sunday morning I moved inadvisedly, trying to get out of bed, and huge pain resulted in my daughter taking me to Scarborough A&E at lunchtime. Triage rushed me onto a trolley in the corridor at A&E.  An X-ray confirmed that the liner on my r-hip had torn away from the bone even more. 'Water only' was written on my notes in expectation of an op. that night or on Monday.  At midnight I was allowed a tuna sandwich.  I was kept on morphine for the pain, but remained on the trolley in the main corridor until morning (back to nil by mouth of course).  Could not sleep, not a lot of fun, but staff wonderful although consultant evening before had been brusque.

Mid-morning consultant arrived, trailing student doctors with clip-boards. He shook hands and informed me that because I had tried to go through GP and they had booked an appt. for me with Osteology at Brid. on 26th Feb. - he was going to treat me as 'elective' and send me home. No further pain-relief was offered but I had to wait for a physio - who gave me a foot-loop to lift my R.leg with.

Consultant also said, as he turned away, that 'it needs sticking back somehow, they have better kit at Bridlington'.  I deduce that he didn't know how to fix it.  He added that 'they'll need to know the type of replacement, some sort of reference no.' I'd told him that it was done 20 years ago in France.  How do I provide that, please?  I told him I couldn't walk - that's when he said he'd send the physio.

Everyone I know thinks that this treatment is terrible - so do I.

Any ideas anyone.  Too exhausted, shocked and upset to ring GP today, I'll do so tomorrow.

 

 

[jno]

in my case of course it helped that everyone agreed there was nothing wrong with me; clearly not the case with jourdain.

[Countrylover]

I found out  by accident that 5.00 am was a good  time to arrive at A&E.  If you are in pain and immobile phone for an ambulance.  Paramedics are usually wonderful people and  have given me more help than nurses and doctors over the last few years.  Never feel guilty for calling for an ambulance when you are in pain.  

[barry1010]

Don't accept the wait for treatment. It is neither acceptable nor humane.  Call 999 when you need to or 111 if that suits your conscience but do something 

[retrocop]

I should have learnt about 8 years ago when I was admitted to a filthy cardio side room on a Friday at St Helier Hospital Sutton. I presented by ambulance and my wife had the presence of mind to send all my medication with me which included blood thinners. The consultant immediately prescribed the holy trinity. Aspirin,Rivaoxaban and Clopidogeral. He hadn't bothered to ask if I was on blood thinners or had taken any. I haemorraged blood Friday night/Saturday morning through ears.nose and throat. I was in a single room and all the ward nurse did Sat morning was to tidy up my face and change a pillow case. No report was apparently made so same meds were duly given on Suturday evening drug round whereby I haemorragged again Saturday/Sunday a.m.. My wife visited me and was shocked to see all the blood and demanded she see a consultant. They do not have cardio consultants working over the weekend in St Helier or its sister hospital Epsom General

I finally saw a consultant on the Monday morning when a consultant arrived and realised I had been double dosed.

Fast forward to 24th Jan last month where I had a routine pacemaker procedure. I was assured I could resume blood thinners 24 hours after the procedure. I did so and on the Saturday/sunday my wound again began haemorraging and would not stop bleeding. My wife drove me to A&E where they would not put a stitch in the wound but just dressed it with more packing gauze. They said it was a cardio problem and they would not interfere to stem the bleeding.There was no cardio team working over the weekend. My wife had to take me back to A&E on Sunday because I was still losing blood although I had stopped Rivaoxaban. All A&E would do was another dressing and more padding. 'Cardio started this procedure and they will have to resolve it when they are open for business at 0830 on Monday. We will tell them to expect you'. Thanks for nothing.

Moral of the story. Ensure your heart attack and cardio problems do not happen on a weekend when two major trauma hospitals in the Metroplis close down. 

[Countrylover]

I'm on blood thinners Retro.  I make sure everbody knows.  I cut my forehead open for 6 " down to my scull in a fall last summer and never have I seen so much blood.  They couldn't stop it bleeding all night and the plastics dept stitched me whilst I was still  bleeding heavily  There is virtually no scar!   Thank goodness I was taken to the plastics team!

I had an audience of loads of medical staff taking photos.  I was the star that night!

 

[jno]

yikes, Countrylover - I spent all day in hospital last month for an operation only for them to cancel it in the evening because they'd found I didn't have the platelets to make it safe. I did warn them ... so they gave me two transfusions and it still wasn't nearly enough. Maybe this month...

[Countrylover]

Good luck jno.  I hope it  goes ahead. I have spent so much time in hospitals over the last couple of years  - 3 ops, 2 falls, xrays scans and oscopies.  And I'm sick of having to take all the medications.  Sometimes I feel like downing the lot of them in one go!!

[jourdain2]

Good evening, you kind, long-suffering lot.

Feeling fairly emotional & feeble generally, but at lunch-time I tried  the last throw of the dice and  rang 111.  The lady was very nice, very kind and very thorough as well as being very sympathetic - especially since I couldn't stop choking-up. 

In the first instance she said to go back to A&E Scarb. - not much point really and I really don't want to spend another  27 hours on a trolley in a corridor with a couple of violent drunks (one denied being drunk, but admitted that he'd had a spliff on top of the alcohol) only to be sent home again, which she accepted.

Next suggestion was GP (I spoke to them yesterday and they increased my night-time dosage of amitrypteline - if that's spelled right) but say I'm already on the top dosage of co-codamol (don't really touch the pain) and they don't want to shift me up onto the narcotics...understandable.

Next offering was I had to go to the Urgent Treatment Centre at Brid. Hospital and she sent them a message that I would be arriving this afternoon.

Bless them, they were lovely, but this hip is way out of their remit and they were quite cross with 111.  They said I should go to Scarb. A&E!!!  When I explained everything and said I had an appt. at Brid. with Osteo. but that it had been moved from the 26th Feb. to 5th March they decided that this was the only thing  they could do to help (apart from giving me crutches, which do help a lot).  They found the direct phone number for the Head of Osteo's. secretary and told  me to ring her tomorrow and 'lay it on' that I needed some action.  Bless them.

  Still too jittery and upset to do it now, but I shall list everything that has happened and  ring her tomorrow in the hope of getting a cancellation or something.

This really is awful - I've paid N.I. since I was 16 until I was 50 (went to France and paid their equivalent and had original ops. there so cost UK nothing).

It's a bit of a beaurocratic nightmare seasoned with pain.  

I thank you all so much for your support.  

Love, Jourdain xx

[barry1010]

I hope you get some proper relief and treatment very soon, jourdain

[jourdain2]

Thanks Barry - I can't process all this.  I grew-up with the NHS and part of  the mantra was 'save it for those who need it'.  I've done that all my life.  Feel betrayed.

I have managed to find an old X-ray, which was taken in 2014 because my l-hip was ready for an op, which shows the r. prosthesis very clearly - hope this helps when I eventually get to a surgeon.  It's so wrong........

[barry1010]

Fingers crossed.

[Patsy33]

I Hope some good will come from tomorrow's phone call Jourdain. You jolly well derve it! Bless your heart. X

 

[Patsy33]

^^^^^^^

Deserve!